MARY OWEN
Principal Advisor | LinkedIn
Mary is an accomplished business leader, investor, fiduciary, and strategic planning consultant. She typically invests in sports and technology and focuses her strategic consulting on executive management teams focusing on family businesses, closely held companies, pro sports franchises.
Certified as a Pro Dynametrics Program Professional and as a Lightstance planning and execution practitioner, Mary uses these online integrated software platforms in her consulting work to optimize hiring, senior management development and executive and life coaching.
In addition, Mary is a Director of the Hall of Fame Resort and Entertainment Company (HOFV) and a Life Trustee of the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation; a $1.2 billion dollar private grantmaking foundation place based in Western New York and Southeastern Michigan.
Ms. Owen worked for the Buffalo Bills from 1997- 2014 ultimately serving as Executive Vice President and represented the team at the ownership level for twelve years serving on the International Committee, Super Bowl Committee and the Board of the NFL Foundation.
She was a Trustee of her uncle, Ralph C. Wilson Jr.’s, estate, along with three others, which included overseeing the sale of the Buffalo Bills NFL franchise to the Pegula family for $1.4 billion dollars in the fall of 2014. She is a graduate of the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia and holds a M.B.A. from Walsh College.
Phillip V. Olsen
President, Know Your Strengths | www.knowyourstrengths.com
Phil is a Certified DynaMetrics Professional (CDMP) with Professional DynaMetric Programs. CDMP is PDP’s highest attainable credential dealing with the recognition of human potential and its applications in human performance. He is also credentialed by the Society for Human Resource Management as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR).
In addition to a degree in business from Utah State University, Phil’s business skills and visionary talents have been shaped and developed through three decades of entrepreneurial business endeavors. His business experience includes management consulting, real estate development, brokerage, investments, mortgage banking, syndications and automotive dealerships.
Phil’s competitive drive was forged in the fire of athletic competition. He was a two-time football All-American at Utah State University, an NFL first-round draft choice and a 9-year pro football veteran. Phil was inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame in the State of Utah in 1985. He’s a member of the Sports Hall of Fame at Utah State University and is also a member of USU’s All Century Team. In 2000, Phil was selected by Sports Illustrated as one of the Top Fifty Athletes of the Century from the State of Utah. In 2003-2007 and again in 2011, he was selected to the final list of candidates for the NCAA College Football Hall of Fame.
Brooke Olsen
Vice President, Know Your Strengths | www.knowyourstrengths.com
Brooke Olsen Roush is Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Know Your Strengths. Brooke coordinates KYS efforts in Marketing & Communications as well as Client Education & Training. For four years, she lived and worked in SE Asia where she served as a strategic partner with our international clients in education, healthcare, automotive, hospitality and ministry.
As a Certified Trainer with Professional DynaMetric Programs, Brooke focuses her efforts on training others how to utilize PDP’s web-based integrated management system to help them with recruiting, screening, hiring, managing, motivating, team development, reducing employee turnover, improving employee morale and enhancing employee productivity. Whether coaching individuals or working with teams, Brooke is passionate about helping people to understand and appreciate their natural talents and abilities as well as teaching them how to recognize, appreciate and respect the profiles of those around them.
Brooke has a Bachelor of Arts in English with a focus on medieval literature. She has administered the ProScan Survey in English, Bahasa (Indonesian), Chinese, Filipino, Spanish, French and Korean.
Lamont Thurston
President & Founder, Lightstance, LLC.
Lamont Thurston brings a global perspective to strategic planning having lived and worked abroad in both Asia and Europe. He enjoyed a 14-year corporate banking career with one of the nation’s largest banks. Among his assignments, he managed the Asian Desk, performed bank acquisition turnaround work, started, staffed and grew specialty lending groups and ended his tenure managing a major Commercial Division for 4 years.
During a subsequent 10-year insurance career, he also founded a captive insurance consulting and management company that formed and operates 22 single parent and group captive insurance companies. These formations were in part developed through a quantitative risk assessment program developed by Thurston and his team.
As President and founder of LightStance, Lamont is the head of strategy and primarily consults with companies regarding prioritized opportunities, risks, actions and financing strategies.
Lorri Slesh
Strategic Planning Director, Authentica | www.authenica.com
As a strong and genuine communicator, Lorri drives strategic growth in complex organizations with energy and focus. She uses practical thinking to achieve goals and push performance. Lorri’s diverse set of experiences allows her to hone in on a challenging situation and solve the right problem with the best solution. As a Strategic Human Resources professional, Lorri designs and executes custom products and solutions, specifically designed to strengthen middle market businesses.
Lorri is valued for keeping her finger on the pulse of an organization and building collaborative teams that ensure strategic alignment. Lorri is a forward-thinker, and provides sound judgment to solve complicated issues. She uses the power of language and common sense to lead, and, as a result, builds teams who are motivated to match her intensity. Doing what she says is important to her, which leads to positive and productive relationships with colleagues, customers, and vendors alike.In 2004, she was recruited to join The Mandel Jewish Community Center to revitalize the organization’s failing fitness operation. After twelve consecutive years of increased gross revenue and retention, an $18M building and equipment renovation project, and winning Best of The East in Fitness award four years in a row, she joined The Ahola Corporation as the first non-family Executive to drive organizational change. There, it took under 5 years to orchestrate their turnaround as the Strategic Planning Director.